Mixing device



Aug. 19, 1969 r E. F. HILL MIXING DEVICE Filed March 18, 1968 INIITI INVENTOR.

EDWARD F. HILL.

' AGENT United States Patent 3,462,131 MIXING DEVICE Edward F. Hill, 97 Winthrop Road, Hillsdale, NJ. 07642 Filed Mar. 18, 1968, Ser. No. 713,716 Int. Cl. B01f /12, 7/22, 7/26 US. (:1. 259-95 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE My invention relates to a device for mixing, blending, and homogenizing fluid constituents in which, in addition to a bladed rotor in housing having exit ports for the homogenized fluid, a set of three slotted discs is provided below the housing to break up aggregates and initially homogenize and blend the constituents of the liquid so that a more homogeneous product is obtained.

In Patent No. 3,197,181, which issued July 27, 1965, I have disclosed a device for homogenizing fluid constituents employing a mixing head divided transversely into two portions. The upper portion of the head is radially partitioned to form a plurality of sector-shaped passageways which constitutes a stator through which the fluid flows in a plurality of streams and exits from the chamber. The lower portion of this mixing head houses a relatively flat-bladed propeller which draws the fluid mixture into the chamber and forces it through the sector-shaped passages of the stator against a moveable deflector plate.

In Patent No. 3,229,965, I have disclosed a similar mixing device in which, however, that portion of the head in which the propeller is located is provided with internal helical ribs, or fins and the edges of the propeller blade are bevelled to match the curvature of the ribs thereby promoting more effective mixing action due to greater shearing action between the propeller and the ribs of the housing.

It is an object of this invention to further improve the mixing action of the devices disclosed in either of the aforesaid patents.

In some cases, particularly in the case of very viscous fluids, or where solid materials are to be homogenized with a fluid, such as paints and the like, it is necessary to disperse the solid-like materials in the vehicle before they can be effectively mixed and blended.

In accordance with the present invention, I provide an agitator which is driven by the same shaft which drives the propeller in the mixing head to break up any aggregates in the liquid before it is drawn into the mixing head of the devices disclosed in either Patent No. 3,197,181 or in Patent No. 3,229,965. This agitator device, in accordance with the invention, comprises a set of discs each having a plurality of sector-shaped pasageways corresponding to those in the stator portion of the mixing head. The center disc is planar and has a smooth peripheral surface. The upper and lower discs, however, are provided with vertically extending blades formed by segmental portions cut out of the disc and which extend, in the case of the upper disc, upwardly, and in the case of the lower disc downwardly. These segments are so cut that they appear to be pitched toward the center of the ice disc. Thus, as these three discs rotate in synchronism with the propeller, these segmental blades cut into the fluid mass breakingup aggregates while the fluid is drawn upwardly through sector-like passageways into the mixing head resulting in complete homogenization of very viscous materials.

The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view in cross-section of a mixing device according to the invention. FIG. 2 isan exploded perspective view of the agitator, and

FIG. 3 is a plan view along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawing, the head of the blender which is the same as that shown in US. Patent 3,197,181 includes a housing 1, the upper portion of which is divided by eight internal partitions of which two are shown as 2 which divide that portion into eight chambers through which the fluid can be ejected as shown by the arrows. The lower portion of the housing contains a I propeller 3 which is supported by a shaft 4 driven by a motor'not shown. The shaft is journalled in casing 5 which is mounted within a bushing 6 fitted within a central bore 7 in thehub of the partitions. The housing is supported from'a motor mounting (not shown) by support rods 8.

Secured to the lower end of 4 by set screws 9 is an arbor adapter 10 which carries three discs 11, 12 and 13 each of which is provided with internal partitions corresponding to the upper portion of the head which form a similar set of sector-like openings through which the fluid can pass on its way upward into the main mixing chamber. The central disc 12 is flat and circular while the upper the lower discs, 11 and 13 respectively, are provided with serrated bent-up edges forming a set of blades 15 which cut into the mixture like an auger. The blades of the upper disc extend upwardly in the case of upper disc 11, and downwardly in case of lower disc 13.

Blades 11, 12 and 13 are supported and driven by an inner shaft 15 having a flattened portion 16 over which each of the blades slide since each has a central hub having a similar flattened surface 17, 18 and 19 respectively. Blades 11, 12 and 13 are separated by washers 20 and 21 respectively and are held in place by a lower ring 22 secured to shaft 15 by set screw 23.

It will thus be seen that the upper and lower discs 11 and 13, respectively, will cut into a fluid mass when they rotate dispersing any aggregates which are drawn upwardly through the sector-shaped openings formed by partitions 14 (FIG. 3) by the propeller 3 and forced through like openings in the stator portion of the head resulting in homogenization of the mixture.

It will also be apparent to those skilled in this art that although the invention has been disclosed in combination with a single mixing head as disclosed in either Patent No. 3,197,181 or Patent No. 3,229,265, it may also be employed in combination with a pair of such mixing heads operating in opposing relationship as disclosed in Patent 3,197,182. In that case, I prefer to have the agitator placed below one of the mixing heads in order to break up any aggregates before they are drawn into the head, but the agitator could also be positioned between those heads and thereby produce a very effective dispersion of aggregates and homogenization of the fluid.

Furthermore, although I have disclosed the use of the agitator in combination with a mixing head of the type disclosed in the aforesaid patents, this agitator may also be used in conjunction with other devices in which a mixing action occurs since the primary purpose of the agitator is to effectively disperse aggregates before they are drawn into the mixing device.

What is claimed is:

l. A mixing device comprising, in combination, a. mixing chamber having input and output ports into which fluid constituents are drawn, mixed and blended and thereafter ejected, means within said chamber to draw the fluid constituents thereinto and eject the mixed and blended constituents therefrom, and an agitator element coupled to said fluid drawing means external to and adjacent the input port of said mixing chamber for dispersing aggregates in the premixed fluid, said agitator element comprising a plurality of disc-like members each having a plurality of internal radial partitions dividing the interior of said disc into a plurality of sector-shaped passageways for the passage therethrough of fluid constituents, each of the disc-like elements nearest to and remotest from the input port of said mixing chamber having a plurality of peripheral segmental portions projecting respectively upwardly from the surface thereof toward and downwardly away from the input port of said mixing chamber, each of said segmental portions having an outer edge corresponding to the periphery of said disc and a base portion corresponding to a portion of a radial line between the center of the disc and the periphery thereof, which form a plurality of blade-like elements for cutting into solid aggregates and dispersing the same, and at least one disc-like element with an uninterrupted periphery between said other two disc-like elements.

2. A mixing device as claimed in claim 1 in which the mixing chamber is divided into two portions one of which is a stator portion and has a plurality of internal radial partitions dividing the interior thereof into a plurality of sector-like passageways for the fluid constituents corresponding to those of the disc-like members of the agitator element.

3. A mixing device as claimed in claim 2 in which the stator constitutes the upper portion of the mixing chamber and the lower portion houses the means for drawing fluid constituents thereinto.

4. A mixing device as claimed in claim 3 in which the means for drawing the fluid constituents into the mixing chamber is a flat-blade propeller.

5. A mixing device as claimed in claim 4 in which the agitator and propeller are coupled to a common driving member.-

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,706,622 4/1955 Staaf 259-96 3,197,181 7/1965 Hill 259- 3,197,182 7/1965 Hill 259 3,229,965 1/1966 Hill 25995 ROBERT W. JENKINS, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 259135 

